Do you find it hard to be appreciative during this time? Economy, politics, war, climate change, education, poverty - there is a lot of "stuff" in the way; and it is all serious "stuff". Staying open to see the possibilities is so important to our happiness, health and general well-being. What helps me is to spend time reflecting on what gave me joy during the day, and equally fulfilling is to give others joy.  

Seeing the possibilities requires us to be open to receive those special moments when, for example, someone smiles at you or goes out of their way to help you - like the cashier at the grocery store, the receptionist at the Department of Motor Vehicles, or the secretary at your child's school.  Show them your appreciation. Take a moment to ask them, "What was the best thing that has happened today?" or "What excites you the most about your job?" You may hear something like "no one has ever asked me that question before." Be genuine in your interest, listen with your heart, and you may just find that this is one of those joyful moments.

We invite each of you to join in the high energy and well-being that gratitude, compassion, and generosity brings to each of us. As always, we thank each of you for sharing your stories of success - seeking the high points to learn, adapt, and thrive - your stories always bring such light into our office and to our work. Please keep sending us your personal stories of success via email, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Appreciatively,

Kathy Becker,  

President of Company of Experts, Inc. 

Company of Experts is pleased to introduce its newest Certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitators and/or Coaches to its growing AI family. 

The individual(s) listed below participated in our 4-day Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT) and/or our 5 day Appreciative Inquiry Coaching Training (AICT)  program and submitted a practicum demonstrating their knowledge and application of Appreciative Inquiry. In reading their practicums, we are able to celebrate in their achievements and observe how Appreciative Inquiry has positively influenced their lives - personally and professionally.

• Marian Sanphy, PhD, "Grandparents as Second Time Parents: What Works"
• Jennifer Wicks, "Embracing Communication and Teamwork - Leading to a Sharing, Caring Work Environment"
• Theresa Renando, "Building a Trusting, Accepting Community that Makes a Difference in the World"
• Peter Moore, "A Perfect Day in the Life of..."

Destiny can be the hardest phase in Appreciative Inquiry to understand, but why? AI Coach & Trainer Luke Younge shares his thoughts. 

I'd like to write a little about Destiny/Delivery - the last phase in the 5 D model of Appreciative Inquiry - because it's the phase that's taken me longest to understand. And it appears I'm not alone.

What makes this phase different to the others in the process? Up till this point we have been moving through a familiar pathway - we have defined a topic to inquire into, we have conducted a discovery into best experiences and we have created a dream, which has now been refined into a provocative proposition or possibility statement. All through this we have carefully put aside our knee jerk problem-solving habits and learnt to trust that locating sources of energy and life will be more than enough to deal with the problem we may have.

The pinnacle we have reached in this high-energy process is the possibility statement - we have finally captured in words a future that both inspires us and is rooted in the best experiences of the past. We are connected to our positive core and, driven by that energy, we can imagine a future that inspires us and calls us to action. Read Full Article>>  

1. The Importance of Paying Attention to Reality (or 'What you see is what you get')

"We see what we look for and we miss much of what we are not looking for even though it is there.... Our experience of the world is heavily influenced by where we place our attention" (Stavros & Torres)

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar started by explaining some of the background and history of positive psychology, how it could be useful in today's world where more people are suffering from debilitating conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression at a younger and younger age, despite rising economic wealth and better physical health.

He made several important points. Psychology's traditional response to helping people has been to focus on what is going wrong. We ask 'why is that child failing?" and hope that with sufficient analysis and discussion of the problems we will find the right answer. Positive psychology encourages us to take a different perspective and to ask an altogether different question: "why is this child succeeding despite the same unfavorable circumstances?" Studying how and in what conditions people flourish is far more likely to enable others to flourish than studying how and in what circumstances people do not. Read Full Article>> 

Positive thinking sounds useful on the surface. (Most of us would prefer to be positive rather than negative.) But "positive thinking" is also a soft and fluffy term that is easy to dismiss. In the real world, it rarely carries the same weight as words like "work ethic" or "persistence." But those views may be changing.

Research is beginning to reveal that positive thinking is about much more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude. Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile.

The impact of positive thinking on your work, your health, and your life is being studied by people who are much smarter than me. One of these people is Barbara Fredrickson.

Fredrickson is a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina, and she published a landmark paper that provides surprising insights about positive thinking and its impact on your skills. Her work is among the most referenced and cited in her field, and it is surprisingly useful in everyday life. Let's talk about Fredrickson's discovery and what it means for you...Read Full Article>> 

In July 2010 Burt's Bees, a personal-care products company, was undergoing enormous change as it began a global expansion into 19 new countries. In this kind of high-pressure situation, many leaders pester their deputies with frequent meetings or flood their in-boxes with urgent demands. In doing so, managers jack up everyone's anxiety level, which activates the portion of the brain that processes threats-the amygdala-and steals resources from the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for effective problem solving.

Burt's Bees's then-CEO, John Replogle, took a different tack. Each day, he'd send out an e-mail praising a team member for work related to the global rollout. He'd interrupt his own presentations on the launch to remind his managers to talk with their teams about the company's values. He asked me to facilitate a three-hour session with employees on happiness in the midst of the expansion effort. As one member of the senior team told me a year later, Replogle's emphasis on fostering positive leadership kept his managers engaged and cohesive as they successfully made the transition to a global company.

That outcome shouldn't surprise us. Research shows that when people work with a positive mind-set, performance on nearly every level-productivity, creativity, engagement-improves. Yet happiness is perhaps the most misunderstood driver of performance. For one, most people believe that success precedes happiness. "Once I get a promotion, I'll be happy," they think. Or, "Once I hit my sales target, I'll feel great." But because success is a moving target-as soon as you hit your target, you raise it again-the happiness that results from success is fleeting.

When was the last time you felt truly inspired? I'll bet for most of you, it's been awhile.

Something like the feeling you had when seeing the ocean for the very first time - or a majestic mountain range - or listening to a speech from a truly great leader.

Now think; when was the last time a leader or colleague in your organization really inspired you to do something...or conversely - when was the last time you were able to inspire others? For most folks, it's hard to think of recent on-the-job examples.

Merriam-Webster defines inspire - inspiring as: to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on. In its oldest form, inspire meant to literally breathe life into something or someone. Wow.

As a leader, the higher you rise on the org chart, the more you'll need to inspire others. For example; you've just landed that senior management position (you know you want it) - and you're tasked with turning around an under-performing team or division. What next? I can say with some assurance, that most under-performing teams lack good leadership. Assuming that people need to get pointed in the right direction (together, as a team) towards a clear, common goal - something might be needed to catalyze the motion. That something is inspiration. Read Full Article>> 

Leadership happens through relationships; End the battle of misperceptions through dialogue, not monologue. 

Are you a leader engaged in a battle of perceptions? Some leaders treat their employees like the most unwelcome houseguest around.  Instead of making employees feel like an important part of the team, no matter how long they stay, they are forever a visitor who could be asked to leave at any time.  Yes, we all understand at-will employment, however, it's tremendously difficult as an employee when you're constantly worried about getting the boot.

In cultures where great work is overshadowed by assumptions about the complexity and time required, even stellar results can have less-than-welcoming receptions from leadership.  The gap between front-line challenges and the perspective of senior leadership widens when connection, support and engagement is replaced with pesudo-stabs at motivation, limited contact, and a lack of true understanding of the work effort.  Talk about a battle of perceptions, just like with our homeowners and houseguests, leaders begin to ask themselves questions and make up the answers.  Why did it take so long?  Why did they do it that way?  Were they lucky or do they really know what they're doing?  Why can Joe do more in half the time?  At the same time, employees are looking back at you wondering why you're not happy and more supportive. Read Full Article>>  

To celebrate 25 years, we are offering an additional $250.00 savings on all 2014 Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Trainings (AIFT) being hosted in Las Vegas! Register early and combine your $250.00 savings on top of our Early Bird Registration Discount. Please enter promo code: THEBIG25 upon checkout to receive our 25 year celebratory discount. Discount cannot be combines with group rates or other offers. 

Payment Plan Program is now available for ALL of our workshops!

Company of Experts, Inc. is pleased to offer a Payment Plan Program as a manageable alternative to paying your workshop registration in a lump-sum payment. Our Payment Plan Program allows you to pay your workshop registration over a number of weeks/months, interest free.

Enrollment in our free Payment Plan Program will reserve your seat(s) in the training of your choice. Your reserved seat(s) permit you to receive all the benefits of registered participants, such as access to any pre-workshop readings, materials and activities.  Learn More>>  

Words Create Worlds � is out! http://paper.li/Center_for_AI/1346347769 ... Stories via @robbiecat @chantalbeaupre  

 #WAIC2015 dates are: July 6-10 2015 #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica Join us at the World #AppreciativeInquiry Conference! Registration is coming!  

#AppreciativeInquiry Trainings for ALL Levels Available! -- #Certification #CEU #Coach #Consultant #PositiveChange http://conta.cc/1q8Zj1e   

School District Engages 4,300 in Creating Future Through Appreciative Inquiry  #AppreciativeInquiry  

What makes questions so powerful? #AppreciativeInquiry #questions #dialogue #positive #trust http://ow.ly/xa1M5  

Playful Inquiry - Try This Anywhere  

Description: Robyn Stratton-Berkessel demonstrates how a simple, positive question can change your world.

Every Child a Talker - Appreciative Inquiry at Work  

Description: Robbie Macpherson shares a story about infusing AI into his work. 

Whole Systems Healing - Interview with Diana Whitney  

Description: An interview with Diana Whitney about Whole Systems Healing and Appreciative Inquiry.

Appreciative Inquiry in the Working Place 

Description: Prof. John Hayes discusses Appreciative Inquiry and its use in the workplace.  

Every Kid Needs a Champion 

Description: A call to educators to believe in their students' potential. 

We invite you to join our LinkedIn Group called "Discovering Appreciative Inquiry". It is an open group that allows participants to ask questions and share stories in regards to AI. All are welcome!

To view a list of our webinar recordings, please click here.